September 8, 2017
When we left our heroine on Wednesday, she had a tidy 16-piece wardrobe, but no accessories!
Of course, she probably still had lots of accessories that can work really well with her new clothes; let’s go piece by piece, step by step, to choose some essential additions for her…
Shoes seems really important, I’d say!
cardigan – L.L.Bean; shirt – L.L.Bean; jeans – L.L.Bean; Top shoes – Pikolinos; loafers – Ecco; bottom shoes – Clarks
And I’m going to be really practical and get her a bag pronto!
shirt – L.L.Bean; tee – L.L.Bean; jeans – L.L.Bean; top tote – Madewell; backpack – Rebecca Minkoff; crossbody bag – Nordstrom
Now a bit of fun – some stars!
cardigan – L.L.Bean; Henley – L.L.Bean; jeans – L.L.Bean; first earrings – South Moon Under; star hoops – Tada & Toy; moon & star earrings– Talia Naomi
Scarves! Always remember that you might find the perfect scarf in an unexpected place – someplace you don’t usually visit…
cardigan – L.L.Bean; tee – L.L.Bean; corduroy pants – L.L.Bean; first scarf – Charming Charlie; middle scarf – Coach; third scarf – Rockins
Don’t discount the impact of a great watch… (yes, that last watch doesn’t go with everything in this wardrobe, but if you were the kind of woman who didn’t mind owning 2 watches…)
cardigan – L.L.Bean; shirt – L.L.Bean; corduroy pants – L.L.Bean; First watch – Rosefield; middle – Skagen; last watch – Nixon
I’m going to keep showing you sunglasses until every last woman in the world has accepted that eye protection in the sun is an important part of self-care; it matters THAT much.
cardigan – L.L.Bean; shirt – Lands’ End; jeans – L.L.Bean; First sunglasses – Kate Spade; middle – Tory Burch; bottom – Oliver Peoples
No woman is going to be comfortable in this wardrobe without at least a few pairs of shoes, eh?
cardigan – L.L.Bean; shirt – L.L.Bean; skirt – Lands’ End; top boots – Toms; middle – Treasure & Bond; bottom – Splendid
I’m not sure why this first bracelet felt starry to me, but it did. Maybe more like the surface of the moon! At any rate, I’d wear it in a heartbeat!
sweater – Lands’ End; jeans – L.L.Bean; First bracelet – Alexis Bittar; second – Rebecca Minkoff; bottom – Poporcelain
Since this is a very “moving into cooler weather” wardrobe, I thought gloves made sense… And no, those last gloves clash hideously with this outfit. But if you were the kind of woman who didn’t mind having 2 pairs of gloves…
star shirt – P.A.R.O.S.H.; sweater – Lands’ End; corduroy pants – L.L.Bean; first gloves – Dents; second – Brooks Brothers; paisley-trimmed gloves – Gizelle Renee
None of the shoes so far would really look just perfect with this amazing skirt, so I think navy flats are a logical addition here.
cardigan – L.L.Bean; shirt – Lands’ End; skirt – Paul Smith; Top flats – Munro; middle – Vaneli; bottom – Geox
This is a break from the usual system – I don’t think there’s any reason in the world not to buy ALL of the hosiery! A fun contrast sock is well worth the effort sometimes… (and Talbots often has cool socks…)
sweater – Banana Republic; shirt – L.L.Bean; corduroy pants – L.L.Bean; socks – Talbots; bow socks – Talbots; tights – Berkshire
Since this tee shirt brings us back to the star theme in a big way, I wanted to find another piece of star jewelry. These necklaces might not all fall just perfectly on the tee shirt, but there are plenty of ways that these could be worn with this wardrobe.
tee – Maison Kitsuné; jeans – L.L.Bean; first necklace – Shashi; middle –Jenny Packham; bottom – Humble Chic NY
Monochromatic outfit? Scarf!
I was thinking – more or less – about clouds and the sky… And yes, these scarves vary in price from the sublime to the ridiculous!
cardigan – L.L.Bean; sweatshirt dress – Uniqlo; First scarf – Faliero Sarti; stars scarf – Valentino; infinity scarf – Dressbarn
Let’s finish up with a tiny star ring, just so our heroine can look at it a dozen times a day and smile!
sweater – Michael Klein ; corduroy pants – L.L.Bean; first ring – Britt Bolton; middle – Shashi; bottom – Talia Naomi
As much as I like the look of just the clothing arrayed together, I always feel that things look a bit more “real” when you get some accessories mixed in.
Now, when one assembles outfits, they really take on some personality!
Just for reference purposes, I’m putting this here again; I think that Mr. Gendler deserves another hurrah!
I love doing 1 at a time wardrobes – I feel like they’re the closest to “real life;” most of us purchase our clothing 1 or 2 pieces at a time. Is that a reasonable assumption?
love,
Janice
PS – If you are looking for more color and pattern inspiration, check out the Planning Documents section of the website.
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This was fun. One of the most useful things I have learned from this blog is the importance of accessories. I always enjoy seeing what you do with accessories.
You asked about 1 piece at a time wardrobes. I do find it helpful when you start with 1 piece or one outfit and move out from there.
Janice,
I agree with The Bride — one outfit, then adding 1 piece at a time — keep 'em coming, please ! I also like your cluster presentations, especially for travel, which I do a lot !
I would love to travel or work with this woman. Everyday would offer a fresh surprise…what will she wear today?
This is super close to the perfect wardrobe for me. I'm not much of a "fancy" dresser, but I realize that occasionally, you do need to dress up. I would make one revision and one addition. Revision: while I adore the cognac, it doesn't really work for me, I would switch to navy or cranberry, if I was feeling "sassy". Addition: I need gray in my wardrobe. I'm currently wearing all gray, I feel a little like Winnie the Pooh's friend, Eeyore.. or a cloud.
Last winter I started adding burgundy to my navy and gray neutrals, so this is right down my alley. Seeing how much each accessory adds to the wardrobe convinces me that I need to think about boots, scarf, and perhaps a purse or tote. Even if I splurge a bit on one of these items, it will get lots of wear.
Hey there, Janice! Wow, I'm thrilled to see you included something from Charming Charlie. That store is the best! While I wouldn't go there looking for high quality items, the way the stores are set up–by color–is fabulous! If you're looking for, say, a scarf or evening bag in a specific color, you just go to the pink section, for example, and you'll find all things pink there–clothes, purses, shoes, jewelry, sunglasses, accessories… And then there's the green section, and the blue section (not to be confused with the aqua section!), and the peach section, and on and on! It's fun and a great place to find the perfect coordinated item. Granted, these aren't items that will last a lifetime–but sometimes that's just right, too, don't you think?) Thanks for continuing to mix it up with both high end items and normal-person's-budget items! So fun. :-)
Concerned about you, your family, and all in Florida. Do hope your mom is with you where ever you ride out this storm. Prayers for all.
Gosh, good thought, Abigail! I'd forgotten J was going to Florida. Peace to all who are there-or who've left!
You all are SO sweet – my mother flew up to Chicago on Wednesday, and is as we speak tucked up with us in the safety of our home. There are still enough prayers needed for all of those who remain….
love you all so much,
hugs,
Janice
Speaking of accessories…..I don't know if you are familiar with this artist, but she makes beautiful, colorful pieces. You could easily build either a capsule or travel wardrobe around one of her jewelry pieces or prints. I own the mermaid necklace and it is gorgeous. The link: http://energyartistjulia.bigcartel.com/
Love these colors Janice. I've been away a good part of the summer, and am just about to go through all my clothes, and re-haul the whole lot. Will be visiting and getting fresh inspiration!